The engine cover that is equipped on all Volkswagen vehicles is designed to keep the engine free from debris and from being tampered with by untrained mechanics. While larger repairs should be done by a skilled professional, basic maintenance items such as changing the air filter or doing a tune will require you to access areas under the engine cover. You can remove the engine cover of your vehicle without damaging it by using a few common tools.
Set the emergency brake of your vehicle, and release the hood latch by pulling the hood release lever, located on the right underside of the dash on the drivers side.
Locate the engine cover, which will be positioned in the center of the engine compartment. The clamps holding the cover in place are located in the top right and left upper corners, the lower left hand corner, at the sensor connection and at the hose clamp for the air filter intake.
Remove the Torx screws holding the air filter in place using a Torx 15 driver. Use the pliers to loosen the clamp holding the hose in place and remove it from the air filter intake.
Pull up on the upper left hand corner of the engine cover and wait for it to be released from the clamp. This will take a fair amount of pressure. Repeat this step for the three remaining corners.
Wiggle the cover to the left and right while pulling up to release the cover from the engine compartment.
